PITTSBURGH,
October 27, 2010 - "Fox's
blackout of 3 million Cablevision customers in the New York City area, now in
its twelfth day, confirms ACA's long-held view that the broken retransmission
consent system would eventually result in major consumer harm inspired by TV
stations' lust for cash instead of service to the public.

"Although the Fox-Cablevision dispute is
receiving all the headlines, the average ACA member with a few thousand
subscribers is routinely forced less prominently to pay discriminatory retrans
fees or else lose access to TV signals. Moreover, competing broadcasters in the same
market form local pacts and jointly negotiate carriage with pay-TV providers,
knowing that this type of collusive bargaining increases their leverage. The
increasing disparity in bargaining power between broadcasters and pay-TV operators
harms consumers, who either see their TV signals go dark or see a spike in
cable rates as their reward for wanting to view `free TV.'

"ACA agrees with Cablevision that the
time has come for the Federal Communications Commission to protect consumers
from Fox's boycott by ordering binding arbitration and immediate restoration of
Fox stations WNYW, WWOR, and WTXF. The FCC needs to protect the public from rank
bad actors like Fox who believe the FCC will not step in and stop them from shaking
down cable customers. Until broadcasters' misconduct is dealt with squarely by
the FCC, no one should be surprised to see TV stations across the country exploit
a blackmail-or-blackout strategy patented in Fox's executive suite."

About the American Cable Association

Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is
a trade organization representing nearly 900 smaller and medium-sized
independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7.6
million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban
markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory
and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA's members work together to
advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness
and viability of their business. For more information, visit http://www.americancable.org/

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